Women at Work in 1900: The Numbers
In 1900, about 1 in 5 American women worked for pay. Most were young, unmarried, and employed in domestic service, textiles, or agriculture. The white-collar revolution was beginning but hadn't yet remade the American labor market. This page tracks what the data says about women's paid work at the turn of the 20th century.
By specialty
| Specialty | Women (%) |
|---|---|
| Domestic Service | 38% |
| Manufacturing (Textiles, Clothing) | 24% |
| Agriculture | 18% |
| Teaching | 8% |
| Clerical | 4% |
| Nursing | 2% |
| Professional (medicine, law) | 0.5% |
Trend
The 1900 female labor force was dominated by young, single, poor, and immigrant women. Marriage effectively ended most women's paid work — 'marriage bars' in teaching, clerical, and many other jobs remained formal policy until the 1940s. By 1940, the married-women's labor force participation rate was still just 15%.
| Year | Women entering (%) |
|---|---|
| 1870 | 14% |
| 1890 | 18% |
| 1900 | 21% |
| 1910 | 23% |
| 1920 | 24% |
Patient outcomes
Most 1900 women working outside the home were in jobs with no legal workplace protections, extreme hours (60-72 hour weeks were common), and serious occupational hazards — factory fires and machinery injuries killed thousands. The 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (146 deaths, 123 women and 23 men) galvanized the labor-safety movement.
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The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of March 25, 1911 killed 146 workers, most young immigrant women. It directly led to New York's factory safety laws and catalyzed the broader US workplace-safety movement.
Cornell ILR School Kheel Center · 1911
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Average workweek for female factory workers in 1900: 60-72 hours. No workers' compensation, no overtime rules, no minimum wage. These didn't emerge as federal standards until the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.
Sources
Frequently asked
What percentage of women worked for pay in 1900?
About 20.6% of women age 16+ were in the paid labor force — mostly young, unmarried, poor, or immigrant. Married women's paid work was rare: under 3%.
What were the main jobs women did in 1900?
Domestic service (38%) was the single largest category. Textile and clothing manufacturing (24%) and agriculture (18%) followed. Clerical work, teaching, and nursing employed smaller but growing numbers.
When did married women start working for pay in large numbers?
Very slowly from 1900-1940 (up to 15% by 1940), then dramatically during WWII (up to 28% by 1945), stabilized in the 1950s, and took off again from the 1970s.
What was the 'marriage bar'?
Formal policies — in teaching, clerical work, and many other jobs — that fired women when they married, or refused to hire married women. Common through the 1930s; phased out in most sectors by the 1950s.
Were there any women in the professions in 1900?
Very few. Women were 0.5% of US physicians in 1900 (roughly 5% of medical graduates). Most state bars and medical schools actively excluded women. The first woman admitted to the Minnesota Bar was 1877; Mississippi didn't admit women until 1918.